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AUTHOR ARCHIVES

Eric Katz

Eric Katz joined Government Executive in the summer of 2012 after graduating from The George Washington University, where he studied journalism and political science. He has written for his college newspaper and an online political news website and worked in a public affairs office for the Navy’s Military Sealift Command. Most recently, he worked for Financial Times, where he reported on national politics.

February 10, 2015
“Rude” employees at U.S. Postal Service locations could cost the cash-strapped agency nearly $300 million in fiscal 2015, according to a report. The USPS inspector general said in an audit released last week that negative customer feedback increased 9 percent from fiscal years 2012 to 2013. Overall, 20 percent of...

February 9, 2015
Lawmakers from both parties addressing unionized federal employees at a conference Monday pledged more support and respect for the civil service, but the union itself promised to “whoop [the] ass” of Congress if it stood in the group’s way. At its annual legislative gathering, the American Federation of Government Employees...

February 6, 2015
In a less-than-shocking development, it appears unlikely Congress will pass President Obama’s fiscal 2016 budget blueprint in full. That does not make the document irrelevant, however. The budget includes a number of large proposals to revamp agency structures and operations, some of which the Obama administration can undertake unilaterally and...

February 6, 2015
The U.S. Postal Service posted a net loss of $754 million in the first three months of the fiscal year, despite significant revenue growth compared to the same period last year. Increases in political mailings and holiday shipping propelled USPS to a $1.1 billion operational profit in the first quarter...

February 5, 2015
This story has been updated. A new bill would walk back recent retirement pension contribution hikes for new federal employees. The legislation -- introduced by Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md., with 10 Democratic cosponsors -- would repeal two separate increases in the amount federal workers must pay toward their pensions, enacted...

February 4, 2015
The chief House members with oversight of the federal workforce at a conference Wednesday expressed their legislative priorities for dealing with civil servants, with both agreeing on the idea of a pay raise but differing drastically on other initiatives. House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and his...

February 3, 2015
While federal employee groups praised President Obama’s budget blueprint, Republican lawmakers met it with unanimous rebuke Tuesday, essentially shutting the door on his proposal becoming law. At a Senate Budget Committee hearing just one day after the White House unveiled its fiscal 2016 budget, Republicans complained Obama’s call to boost...

February 3, 2015
President Obama renewed his longstanding call to overhaul the U.S. Postal Service in his fiscal 2016 budget, saying the agency must be reformed to ensure its future viability. Just one day after the Postal Service swore in its new postmaster general -- Megan Brennan -- Obama called for sweeping changes...

February 2, 2015
President Obama called for a total overhaul of the federal civil service system in his fiscal 2016 budget proposal, deriding the current structure as an antiquated relic of generations past. In a section of his budget blueprint labeled as his plan for “strengthening the federal workforce,” Obama said federal employees...

February 2, 2015
President Obama called for a 1.3 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees and military members in his fiscal 2016 budget request released Monday. The raise will help the federal government "remain competitive in attracting and retaining a high caliber workforce," the proposal stated. This marks the highest such pay...